The other disaster of this scandal is that it plays into every populist critique of politics. Mandelson’s actions will reinforce the image of an amoral, self-serving, global elite. In reality, populist movements are every bit as prone to this form of sleaze. One has only to consider the Trump administration, with its barely hidden pay-to-play ethos and favours for business pals.  This is easier to diagnose than cure. Rules can be tightened, sanctions increased, more transparency demanded, but there are no simple solutions. This is a never-ending fight that relies on those in the system to safeguard its integrity. That has to mean leaders setting the tone with vigilance and an unforgiving line on those whose weakness corrupts it — a challenge Starmer seems to have failed. This scandal may be a disgusting outlier, but the overarching lesson is the general. A system is only as strong as its weakest links, and money never sleeps.